There are about six steps involved in starting a food truck business. It sounds simple enough, but when you break down all the steps involved in starting successful food truck business, it can become a little overwhelming. If you’ve been considering starting a food truck business, you may not have considered investing in a food truck franchise. Owning a food truck franchise offers all of the entrepreneurial freedom of owning your own business, without all the hassle of starting a food truck business from scratch. You wouldn’t want to put the cart before the horse (so to speak), so take a look at what it takes to start a food truck business, and see why owning a food truck franchise may be a vastly better option.
1. Getting your license and permits
Every area is different; your local laws may be different from the laws in another state, or even county. Your best bet is to Google something like “food truck permits in [insert your city here]”. Or, you can start a food truck franchise. Repicci’s provides licensing, as well as training in how to set up your food truck to meet health codes. Already, starting a food truck franchise takes care of the first step itself.
2. Finding a niche
You may have a recipe that will revolutionize the hotdog industry. Great! Do that. But maybe you’re the kind of entrepreneur that sees the booming food truck business as a solid investment, but you don’t know what to serve yet. This is another step that starting a food truck franchise takes care of on its own. Repicci’s, for example, sells Italian ice with a 100-year-old recipe. Done. By starting a food truck franchise, you don’t have to fret about figuring out what to sell or how to make it.
3. Building, buying, or refurbishing your truck
Now you have to figure out what kind of vehicle you want to sell your goods from. Building a food truck allows you to customize a truck exactly the way you want it. But that will set you back at least $100K, not to mention the fees associated with consultants. Then you could go ahead and buy a truck that’s already assembled for food service, though you’ll have to contend with trucks that have already been modified for a specific brand, or that have too many or not enough features for the food truck business you’re trying to start. Refurbishing a food truck on your own is risky if you’re not proficient with tools or don’t have sufficient knowledge of mechanics or food truck regulations. Again, starting a food truck franchise eliminates these problems. Repicci’s provides a perfectly customized Mercedes Sprinter truck, plus all the equipment to start your food truck business.
4. Financing your food truck business
No matter what you decide to sell, or what kind of truck you want to sell it from, you’ll have to finance your food truck business. On the low end, you’re looking at between $100-300K. Startup funding sites like Kickstarter sound like a good idea in theory, but you’ll quickly learn that there’s no such thing as free money. Repicci’s offers financing opportunities to help franchisees get started, so you won’t have to worry about how you’ll raise the money up front.
5. Networking, getting connected to the local scene, and social media
Just like any brick-and-mortar establishment, food truck businesses need marketing to be successful. Always be looking for opportunities to meet people and give them the chance to try your goods. Repicci’s franchises offer free samples to every person that passes by one of their food trucks. If you’re wanting to use our food truck to cater events, start calling around to find people or businesses that are looking to celebrate a milestone or holiday. Get creative. Also, the importance of social media cannot be understated. Social media provides free advertising to people all over the world, and can be targeted at people in your area. Franchises such as Repicci’s has guidelines in place that help maximize the effectiveness of their already-established brand across social media platforms.
6. Expanding and growing
After all the steps are set in place, it’s time to start reaping the rewards. It’s a slow process at first, but with hard work, dedication, and a little bit of time, success will come. Owning a food truck franchise like Repicci’s comes with the added benefit of 24/7 support, so when you inevitably start to feel burned out or discouraged in the beginning, their team can encourage and help you look ahead to the next level of success.
Owning a food truck business is hard: it takes a lot of planning, hoop-jumping, and hard work. Owning a food truck franchise eliminates or many of the steps and decisions you need to take to become a food truck owner, making the undertaking that much easier. With Repicci’s, the average time to complete the steps to own a food truck franchise takes about six months. Find out more by calling 1-888-732-5423, or visiting OwnARepiccis.com.